The Internet’s Best Reactions to the SpaceX Falcon Heavy Launch

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He did it. The crazy S.O.B. did it. Elon Musk and his incredible team of engineers at SpaceX successfully launched Falcon Heavy, the biggest, most powerful rocket in the world, into space, while safely landing all three of its rocket boosters back on Earth so they can be reused, in a stunning medley of science and imagination. Without exaggeration, it was one of the most amazing feats in the history of mankind, and one day it might very well prove to have been one of the greatest, most important developments in the journey beyond our home world into the deep cosmos outside of solar system. It was truly a breathtaking endeavor.

…one that also included launching a cherry red roadster manned by a spacesuit-clad mannequin named Starman, who will travel for hundreds of millions of years with a copy of Isaac Asmiov’s Foundation series, Douglas Adams’ Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy’s motto “Don’t Panic” on the dashboard, and David Bowie’s “Life on Mars” blaring. So in addition to being one of the most meaningful scientific achievements in history, it was simultaneously also one of the geekiest and coolest thing ever done. (Not convinced? The below image is 100% real.)

Considering everything that Falcon Heavy accomplished and the images it produced, people from all walks of life responded with a range of emotions, from total awe and sincere appreciation, to newfound hope for the future, to pure unadulterated glee. (That said, there were also a few who got a little worried over the whole thing, mostly because they have been paying attention to how super villains in movies and comics usually get their starts.)

To celebrate this monumental occasion, we rounded up some of our favorite memes, reactions, and images the internet had to offer.

Congratulations @elonmusk and #SpaceX – how I wish Douglas Adams were alive to see “Don’t Panic” in large friendly letters on the Tesla That was a classy addition.

There's an astronaut named after a David Bowie song driving an electric car named after neglected scientist orbiting the Earth right now. No science fiction author could have envisioned such a scenario. Earthlings you never cease to amaze me.#SpaceX#Starman

i don't know much about space or space travel. I'm not really interested either. But events like the #SpaceX give me hope that man will never stop exploring. Mars might be a dead rock, but we have to go there. Why? Because it's next.

This is not fake. This is not CGI. This is literally #SpaceX. I have never been more excited for the future of space. Elon Musk is inspiring generations of future adventurers with each new step his team makes. So happy to be alive at a time to witness this! pic.twitter.com/OsmCToxSTx

To reiterate, there is a small group of people who are just a little bit worried about an über-wealthy private citizen sending a freaking car to space. And we have to admit that if all of this were taking place at the start of a movie instead of in real life, we’d be pretty sure that the man behind the project would take a dark turn pretty soon. The Falcon Heavy launch could very well be the start of something great for humanity… or it could be the beginning of Emperor Elon Musk’s quest for world domination.

multiple generations who grew up in superhero movies and james bond and no one can recognize a supervillian when he launches a $200K car into space for no real reason